Sorry, Rhizzo, you are right. Soil mixes bought in bags are Ph adjusted and this perfect Ph only lasts for a brief period time .. Some have always wanted to know a "secret" from nurseries as to why their plants do so well, so green... Well I didn't want to keep this info to myself. It has been a gift to me to know that using even the BEST of fertilizers will be rendered useless in ways in a soil with bad PH. I hope many more benefit from knowing this... Now I know why Al is so persistant in telling people to lime or use gypsum when making ones own soil or altering one from a bag..:-) I spoke to the top grower of citrus at Hines, along with certain local nurseries here, and it took alot of foot work, calls and connections to do so though...:-) I traveled to my local nurseries, talking to owners who agreed with this. Because I know the owners at Mahonies here, the owners son even showed me their private fertilizer tanks and storage rooms. They also said that vinegar in that small dosage will do NO harm to our plants for those scared to use it... Plants, and especially Citrus will only benefit after being in the same soil for more than 6 months,and unlock all the nutrients just waiting to be utilized.....He even mentioned Gardenias.... Locked nutrients, especially iron and Ca, among others, is a major reason for yellow leaves and declining health,no matter how good the fertilzer, like I said over a period of time.. Now mine have all been greening up... Wish I would of known this "secret" before.. Take care..:-)

This topic has been debated quite a bit: http://search.gardenweb.com/search/nph-ind.cgi?term=fertilizer&forum=fig&forum_name=Fig More than enough in there to keep you busy for a few hours! Here is a link that might be useful: Fertilizer

You can check out some "before" pics here :) Please note that the before pics were taken in March, 5 months after overseeding and the grass didn't have the chance to fully grow. The "after" pics that I'm posting right now were taken in September, I believe. I went organic right at the beginning of my journey with lawn care and I've never really used chemical fertilizers. I don't live in the US, actually. I'm Polish and I order my SBM and alfalfa pellets online. $15 for a 30 kg (65 lbs) bag + $5 shipping, next day right at my doorstep :) However, I can't find corn gluten meal anywhere here in Poland! Now, not to hijack my own thread, is there anyone who can help me with my original question?

This forum is a treasure trove of info. I have bloom booster but haven't been using it because most of my Hoyas are in 4" pots. I do have tomato food though and it certainly is cheaper. I've been using it on brugmansias (and tomatoes) and they're growing like crazy. I just repotted them like 2-3 weeks ago and the roots are already coming out of the bottom of the pots they're in. Thanks for the tip! gloria